Chaos Girl Rewrites the Script novel Chapter 384

After Benedict led Alaric and Julian out of the suite, the atmosphere in the room froze over once again.

Dorian's mind was an absolute wreck. He knew perfectly well that Balthazar was in Goldbay, but how the hell did this escalate into a kidnapping?

If the old man ever found out that he had been cutting backdoor deals with Balthazar, he wouldn't just lose his shot at becoming Council Speaker—he'd be exiled from the Ravenshire family entirely.

The entire situation reeked of a setup. Dorian shot a dark, calculating glare at Victoria, his mind racing with suspicion.

Victoria knew Dorian was already doubting her, but confessing now would be a death sentence. She clamped her jaw shut, resolving to play the terrified, clueless victim to the bitter end.

All she could do now was pray that Balthazar was competent enough to erase any trace of her involvement.

*

The heavy, salty scent of the ocean drifted into the dimly lit room, carrying the faint, intoxicating rhythm of distant music.

In the shadowed study, the laptop screen cast an eerie blue glow, but the brightness in Vivienne's eyes completely eclipsed it.

She playfully swatted Cyril's hand away, leaning in dangerously close, her gaze darting around mischievously.

"Cyril, what exactly are you looking at?"

Cyril instinctively shifted his weight backward, trying to put distance between them.

Vivienne wasn't deterred. "It looks like a bunch of encrypted code. I didn't know you were a hacker."

With every casual question, she meticulously tracked his reactions. For him to risk everything to access this laptop, the data had to be unimaginably valuable.

Cyril ignored her entirely, staring dead ahead at the screen.

Vivienne narrowed her eyes. Reaching out, she poked the back of his hand. The absolute second their skin touched, they both froze. Cyril's fingers, which had been flying across the keys, jerked to a violent halt. Vivienne, as if violently shocked by a live wire, snatched her hand back.

"..."

Cyril tapped his index finger twice against the mouse before slowly turning his head to glare at the instigator.

"Didn't I tell you to stay the hell away from me?"

His smile was completely different from his usual cold demeanor. It was seductive, unhinged, and lethally dangerous.

Vivienne forced out an awkward laugh, subtly taking a step back to widen the gap between them. "You... just keep stealing. I'll go keep watch."

Whatever. The timing was awful. She would find a way to con it out of him later.

Making a quick tactical retreat, she hid her hands behind her back and slowly walked backward out of the study, never breaking eye contact.

The moment her intoxicating scent faded, Cyril mentally cursed a blue streak, though his expression remained an impenetrable mask.

"Psst!"

Just as he exhaled, the little menace popped her head back around the doorframe. "How much longer do you need?"

Cyril kept his eyes locked on the monitor. "Twenty minutes."

"That long?" Vivienne grimaced, remembering the searing heat from their brief touch. "I don't trust you. Fifteen minutes. If you're not done in fifteen minutes, I'm knocking you out cold."